The original plans for this location called for a five-star Ritz Carlton directly across the street from the Shangri-La, but the brand bailed when the 2008 recession hit, and the project was dormant up until a year ago when developers jumped back in and started hacking out a deal with Trump, apparently because they like the international appeal of his image to potential buyers across the globe.

Now, according to reports of the proposal, the design plans have been altered to make the project even bigger (surprise surprise) than originally planned. Eight additional floors will be added and the tower will reach 67 stories and a height of 617 feet (the Shangri-La is 659 feet). The number of hotel rooms will be 187 as opposed to the original 127, and the number of condo units will increase from 163 to 290. One original (large) detail that will be kept is the plan for a twisting tower, one that will turn about 45 degrees as it reaches toward the sky.

We'll continue to monitor the negotiations as they proceed, but one question we have: Assuming the Trump deal becomes reality, if you're the Shangri-La, is it good news or bad news? Would the Ritz Carlton brand have been a tougher competitor than Trump? Let us know your thoughts!

[Photo: Holborn Group]

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Comment (1)

Good news for Shangri-La

While Trump's newest round of hotels are certainly luxurious, they will never be considered in the same league as Ritz, Four Seasons, Mandarin, Peninsula, Shangri-La, etc. From the rendering above, it's also obvious that Trump had no say in the design, as this tower is actually attractive. Speaking of the tower, I find it impossible to believe that a 67 story tower could only rise 617 feet. Even by the standards of the 1930's, this couldn't be possible with the old floor plate of 10 feet. These numbers suggest a floor plate of just over 9 feet. That leaves no room for mechanicals between floors and very low ceilings.